Close-Act Theatre makes street-theatre spectacles for festivals and events. With stilts, mobile objects and beautiful costumes we create an imaginary world for you to enjoy. Le théâtre Close-Act crée des spectacles de théâtre de rue pour les festivals et les événements. Avec des échasses, des objets mobiles et de beaux costumes, nous créons un monde imaginaire dont vous pourrez profiter. Close-Act Theatre hace espectáculos de teatro callejero para festivales y eventos. Con zancos, objetos móviles y hermosos trajes, creamos un mundo imaginario para que disfrutes.

MALAYA


Performing among the audience

It is the year 1999 and we are playing the première of Malaya, the first real large spectacle that Close-Act produced. The crowd is all around us, and our one large cart, at that time a non-mobile version, is stealing the show! The Birds on sticks still smell like paint and stilt walkers wearing shields that have barely been used.

After a few performances in Germany (1999) Netherlands (Oerol 2000), Belgium (2001) the performance got bigger, with more carts, dancers on stilts, and fireworks.

But we had one problem:
The festivals were afraid to put the performance in between the people and convinced us to have fences around it, something we would never do again after we played in Deventer.

For 2002, the founders of Deventer op Stelten were very interested to book Malaya.
Anjo de Bont and Hein ter Riele wanted the show, but they had one objection:
Fences around the performance were unacceptable for the Deventer audience.
Our thoughts exactly!!
Meeting these like-minded guys would change everything for us.
I created a bond between Deventer op Stelten and Close-Act that lasted for years.

For the first time we could play the show the way we had envisioned it.
Real fights with fire are happening.
Large carts and players on stilts are cutting straight through the crowd.
They are part of the performance.
It is raw, interactive, and constantly in motion.
The audience is not watching from a safe distance but is right in the middle of the act.
Your visiting a real street theatre festival!

Thanks to Deventer op Stelten for always believing in our work.